1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an authentication method, and a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Authentication techniques have recently been prevalent as authentication methods of authenticating users, the authentication techniques including: radio authentication by use of IC cards not requiring manipulation, such as input of passwords; and face authentication where authentication is executed based on facial images of users. As a radio authentication technique, for example, a technique has been proposed, which is for detecting, with radio waves, an object attached with a short range radio tag (a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag) or a user wearing that tag around the user's neck, using short range radio authentication, such as radio frequency identification (RFID) (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-258793).
However, the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-258793 has had a problem that with the authentication function using short range radio, for example, emission of radio waves is unable to be started at a timing when reading needs to be performed, such as a timing when a user carrying the tag has gotten closer to the RFID tag reader. Further, the technique also has had a problem that emission of radio waves is unable to be stopped at an appropriate timing when a particular tag has been identified. Furthermore, the technique also has had a problem that wasteful consumption of electric power resulting from emission of radio waves from the RFID reader is caused since timings to start and stop the emission of radio waves are not controlled as described above.